Ebony & Ivory

Ebony & Ivory are Dante's trademark pair of personally customized, semi-automatic pistols, designed to rapidly fire bullets instilled with his demonic power  , and are one of the several fire arms to appear in every Devil May Cry game series. The right-handed white gun, Ivory, was custom built for rapid firing and fast draw times, while the left-handed black gun, Ebony, has been modified for long-distance targeting and comfort. In Devil May Cry 3, upgrading it raises its max firepower.

Design
Ebony & Ivory are both -style handguns chambered for the .45 ACP round, and boast a plethora of customized features:
 * Both pistols have been modified with pivot-style triggers as opposed to the 1911's usual straight-pull trigger, this modification resembles the Browning Hi-Power pistol.
 * Both feature custom sight systems; Ebony uses a set of target sights, while Ivory uses a pair of combat sights
 * Both feature ported muzzle compensators that reduce recoil and counteract muzzle flip. Both barrels are extend through the compensators and are ported to match the cuts in the compensators.
 * Both use custom slides that have been noticeably thickened and reinforced along the slide travel rails and around the chamber and firing mechanism. The result is a slide that bears a resemblance to SIG-Sauer's M1911 line.
 * Rails have been bolted to the forward portion of both frames. These rails are used to hold the compensators in place.
 * Both guns use double-stack magazines with slam-pads.
 * Both have gold-plated magazine releases, hammers, safety switches and triggers.
 * Ebony features a hooked, two-handed trigger-guard, while Ivory uses a more traditional rounded trigger-guard.


 * Both weapons use ergonomic wood grips which are inlaid with portraits of Victorian women; as befits their names, Ebony's is dark-haired, and Ivory's is fair-haired.


 * Ebony's ejection port is located on the left side of the weapon, as opposed to the right side (as Ebony is meant to be used left-handed, this causes spent brass to be ejected away from Dante.)
 * Both weapons have an outside extractor, resembling Browning Hi-Power pistols.

In addition, several customized features are inconsistent between the various games:
 * In the original Devil May Cry game, Ebony utilizes an extended safety latch and a spur hammer. Ivory uses a standard length safety latch and a ring hammer. In later incarnations, both feature spur hammers and standard length safety latches.
 * For Devil May Cry 3, Ivory's frame and slide are both completely left-handed, with all of the controls being mirrored from their normal positions.

The inward-facing side of each weapon's slide (Ebony's right and Ivory's left) is engraved with "Ebony & Ivory" in a cursive script along with the unique design of piano keys, further alluding to its name. The outward facing sides (Ebony's left and Ivory's right) are engraved with a dedication to Dante which is explained in Devil May Cry Volume 1 to be from Nell Goldstein:
 * For Tony Redgrave
 * By .45 Art Warks

Oddly enough, this engraving also appears on the Luce & Ombra, a similar set of pistols belonging to Dante's father and used by Trish which the Ebony & Ivory are modeled after.

The model used for the Ivory within Devil May Cry 3: Dante's Awakening gameplay is simply a recolored copy of that used for the Ebony. The spent shells still behave as though the ejection port is pointed outward, appearing out of thin air above the gun and falling to Dante's right side. Dante tends to cross the guns when firing them.

Gameplay
In most entries, Ebony and Ivory have the lowest damage output but provides the highest fire rate and mobility out of any fire arm, except the submachine guns. They primarily serve to juggle enemies and extend combos if an enemy is out of melee range. Ebony and Ivory temporarily slow Dante's descent, and when used in tandem with their juggling abilities, can allow the player to reposition themselves.

Devil May Cry
In Devil May Cry, Dante can charge the bullets at the cost of Devil Trigger. Using Charge Shots will somewhat lower the speed and accuracy.

Devil May Cry 2
In Devil May Cry 2, Ebony and Ivory can no longer be charged. This marks the first appearance of Twosome Time, while using another firearm, Dante will shoot Ivory in another direction if an enemy is nearby. By shooting right after pressing the jump button, Dante will flip upside down and fire on enemies below.

Devil May Cry 3
In Devil May Cry 3, Ebony and Ivory are only capable of shooting on their own, however they are the only weapons that can be used during Free Ride. Using Gunslinger unleashes their full potential, allowing Dante to shoot faster and giving him access to Charge Shots, this time expending no Devil Trigger and not effecting accuracy or bullet speed. The pistols can be used to fire in two different directions, allowing the player limited control of enemy positions. While in the air, Gunslinger grants access to Rain Storm to rapidly fire on enemies below. Mashing the Style button will cause Dante to Rainstorm until he reaches the ground. When standing over a downed enemy, firing repeatedly will make Dante hold the enemy down with his foot while firing Ebony and Ivory before kicking the enemy away.

Devil May Cry 4
Ebony and Ivory function largely the same as they did in ''Devil May Cry 3. ''Rainstorm is slightly easier to execute, needing only to hold the Style button to extend the technique. Charge Shots can be used regardless of what Style is active and will fire Charge Shots while in Devil Trigger is active.

Devil May Cry= Devil May Cry 2= Devil May Cry 3: Special Edition=

Devil May Cry 4: Special Edition=

Shin Megami Tensei: Nocturne
Dante uses Ebony & Ivory for three special attacks. The first "E & I" deals up to four light physical hits on a single target. The second "Bullet-Time" deals moderate physical damage to all enemies and cannot be dodged. The last "Showtime" deals a large amount of Almighty damage to all enemies.

Viewtiful Joe
Dante uses Ebony & Ivory for his long-ranged attacks.

Sengoku Basara
Nouhime/Lady Butterfly's sixth weapon is Ebony & Ivory.

Marvel vs. Capcom 3: Fate of Two Worlds
Dante can use Ebony & Ivory as his crouching light attack (depending on the side he is facing), and can also perform Charged Shots/Twosome Time, Wild Stomp, also called Cold Shower, and Rain Storm, as well as fire them during his ground throws. His new Weasel Shot special, in which Dante leaps backward while firing, and his Million Dollars Hyper Combo, in which Dante fires a volley of bullets, then fires two charged shots in the style he used to finish off Mundus in DMC1 while saying "Jackpot", are newly introduced moves outside the original series.

Background
The Ebony and Ivory references the black and white construction of.

Trivia

 * Ebony is the only gun that Vergil is ever shown using, during the battle against Arkham in Devil May Cry 3, after stating that he'll "try it [Dante's] way for once."
 * Ebony was also used in the animated series by Lady, Sid and Patty. Lady used it in Mission 09 while undercover since it was easier to hide rather than her standard weapons. Sid used it in Mission 11 and 12 briefly against Dante and Patty used it also in Mission 09 while under a spell to try and shoot Dante.
 * Vergil and Nero are the only characters who have been shot at with Ebony & Ivory during the events of the games and were not immediately killed or defeated.
 * Dante seems to favor delivering the coupe de grâce with Ebony & Ivory as they have more kills/defeats of boss characters than any other weapon over the course of the games. This list includes Nevan, Arkham, Sanctus, Echidna, Berial, Arius, the Despair Embodied, and Mundus.
 * In Devil May Cry 4, in the secret ending, Dante is seen reading a magazine called the "Two HandGun". An image of the guns and a line "Ebony & Ivory™" can be seen on the page Dante is reading.
 * In DmC: Devil May Cry, Dante once again wields, but refers to them as "girls", in contrast to how the original Dante called his pair "guys".
 * In Devil May Cry 3: Dante's Awakening, it is possible to see upon close examination that the "Ebony & Ivory" inscription is on the outward pointing side of Ivory's slide, and also printed in reverse, despite the piano keys still being printed in front, as though the inscription and the piano keys design are two separate designs applied to the weapon.
 * It's possible to see that while there are many inaccuracies to the design of Ebony & Ivory, their respective iron sights are still correct in Devil May Cry 3, as Ebony uses adjustable target sights, while Ivory uses fixed combat sights.
 * A close-up of Ebony & Ivory to the right with the ejection ports copied. Note the dedicated inscription is gold on Ivory, while it is simply a dark black on Ebony.